merx | mers (noun F) : (
* Nom. sing. merces, Sall. Fragm. ap. Charis. p. 27 P.), f. mereo, goods, wares, commodities, merchandise (class.): invendibili merce oportet ultro emptorem adducere: Proba merx facile emptorem reperit,Plaut. Poen. 1, 2, 128: fallaces et fucosae,Cic. Rab. Post. 14, 40: peregrina et delicata,Plin. Ep. 4, 14, 1: femineae,for women,Ov. M. 13, 165: esculenta,eatables, victuals,Col. 11, 3: navem mercibus implere,Juv. 14, 288: sarmenta quoque in merce sunt,are an article of merchandise,Plin. 12, 25, 54, § 118: Arabiae et Indiae,id. 19, 1, 2, § 7: mercis sordidae negotiator,Quint. 1, 12, 17: in peculiari merce negotiari,Gai. Inst. 4, 72.
* Transf., in gen., a thing (ante-class.).
* Of persons: mala merx haec, et callida est,a bad lot,Plaut. Cist. 4, 2, 61; id. Ps. 4, 1, 44; id. Pers. 2, 2, 56.—Plur.: novi ego illas malas merces,Plaut. Cas. 3, 6, 23: o mercis malae!id. Truc. 2, 4, 58.
* Of inanim. and abstr. subjects: ut aetas mala mala'st merces tergo!Plaut. Men. 5, 2, 6 Ritschl N. cr. (in old MSS. for merx also is written acc. to Ritschl; v. Rhein. Mus. 10, p. 454 sq.).

s. TLL